Best Public Schools in Parkersburg, WV

The city of Parkersburg, West Virginia is home to 16 schools that serve students from elementary through high school, all part of the Wood County Schools district. This well-resourced district is ranked 6th out of 55 in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. While the district as a whole performs well, there is significant variation in school quality and student outcomes across the individual schools.

Several elementary schools stand out for their exceptional academic performance, including Criss Elementary School, which ranks 7th out of 355 elementary schools in the state and has a 5-star rating. Criss Elementary boasts impressive proficiency rates in both math and English language arts, with up to 86.4% of students scoring proficient or better. Other high-achieving elementary schools include Lubeck Elementary School and Gihon Elementary School. In contrast, some schools like Franklin Elementary Center have lower proficiency rates.

At the secondary level, Hamilton Middle School stands out for its strong performance in English language arts, while the two high schools, Parkersburg High School and Parkersburg South High School, both have a 92.5% four-year graduation rate. However, there is a wide range in test score proficiency rates across the high schools, with Parkersburg High School at 15.4% and Parkersburg South High School at 17.4% in 11th grade mathematics.